Travis Chitwood bent for­ward and placed his right hand on the rough surface of the track that runs around Jefferson High School’s football stadium. In his left hand, he held a shiny, golden-colored baton. He lifted his head, eyes focused on the path and other runners before him.

“On your mark … get set … go,” someone shouted.

Travis took off, sprinting forward and passing the other participants in the 4x100 relay.

“I don’t care if they put me in the back,” Travis said, referring to how the staggering of race lanes placed him as the last run­ner in line. “I just go super fast.”

Travis was one of more than 300 participants in the 23rd annual Monroe County Special Olympics area track and field competition held Friday after­noon. Olympians took part in six events, including the 50- and 100-meter dashes, long jump, bocce ball, softball throw and sit-up contest, and represented nearly every high school in Monroe County.

“It’s all about fair competi­tion,” co-chair Dick Sager said, explaining that the mission of Special Olympics is to give athletes with disabilities the opportunity to perform and experience success.

During the Olympics, Mr. Sag­er said, athletes are separated into groups based on their age and physical ability. For those who struggle with reading or may not be able to navigate the athletic fields on their own, or­ganizers place the athlete with a buddy and sometimes two.

Hundreds of volunteers turn out to help at the Special Olym­pics each year. Many are from organizations that help sponsor the event, but some are from special school groups around Monroe rooted in respect and open-mindedness of differ­ences.

Of the many multi-colored T­shirts worn by different groups Friday, Jen Fulwider’s Mason Middle School students stuck out in neon orange. Ms. Fulwid­er, a special education teacher at the school, started a program at Mason called Peer to Peer, which aims to bring general­ education students together with specialeducation students. She recruited sixth-graders at the middle school to help out in her classroom and at special events to teach them tolerance.

“I’ve always been a big advocate for acceptance,” she said. “Our kids deserve to be here as much as anyone.” The Peer to Peer program teaches youngsters that mentality, Ms. Fulwider said, and helps them grow and develop into leaders.

Miranda Messenger, Katie Robinson and Alyssa Blomgren, all 11, are all members of the Peer to Peer program at Mason. They said the program lets them meet students they usually wouldn’t and teaches them skills like sign language that are traditionally taught to general-education students.

Ms. Fulwider started a similar program while teaching at Jefferson High School. Now, more than 200 Jefferson students lend a hand during Special Olympics. Kelli Parker, a senior at the school, said the volunteering is driven by the high school’s student council program, but any student can help at Special Olympics.

“It seems like everybody is out here today,” she said.

Lauren Rhoades, a special-education teacher at Monroe High School, brought out her 20 students and more than 20 volunteers from Monroe Unified, MHS’s antibullying and tolerance group.

Since Monroe Unified was created, Ms. Rhoades said she has seen a change in the Trojan student body. She told a story of Monroe’s recent Decision Day where seniors announced the college and universities they had chosen to attend next year. Five of her students participated, announcing that they were moving on to the transition center in Monroe — a typical step for many with disabilities that complete high school.

“I was so nervous,” she said. “But everybody — the whole student body — got up and cheered for them. I was bawling my eyes out.”

“It made me feel that what we’re doing is working,” she said. “( The special-education students) might be different, but they’re really not.”

Monroe Events
click to expand

About

We're an afternoon daily with morning weekend editions. Monroe County is our specialty. The Monroe News is your only source for local news, high school sports, photos, events, crime and more in Monroe County, MI.